Mercedes-AMG drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli started 1-2 in Saturday’s Sprint race ahead of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, but it only took about five laps for the young Italian to try and strike for the lead. And when he did, he did not hold back.
Both Mercedes sped down the back straight, but Antonelli pulled out for a pass as they approached the chicane and final corner of the circuit. Despite being perfectly alongside the Brit, he couldn’t make the pass happen and focused on trying again in Turn 1. Antonelli went for it on the outside, but Russell closed the door pretty early and forced Antonelli off the track. It was an ambitious pass that was never going to happen, and frankly, Antonelli should’ve saved it for later—it’s not like he was running out of time.
The Mercedes briefly touched, and Antonelli was forced to rejoin the track with cold tires, but surprisingly, didn’t lose much ground to his teammate. The 19-year-old tried again but failed once more, going on the grass again and catching some air as he made his way through the bumpy terrain. By now, and due to the intra-team shenanigans, McLaren’s Lando Norris had caught up to the Silver Arrows and promptly passed the Italian, relegating him to third place.
Antonelli quickly jumped on the radio to complain about Russell’s antics, but team boss Toto Wolff promptly responded to focus on the racing rather than complaining on the radio.
“I was quite well alongside, and there was definitely contact, said Antonelli after the race. “To be fair, it [the pass] was definitely optimistic.
“I think if you are well alongside, you should be able to overtake,” he answered to Russell’s comment that an outside pass on Turn 1 is highly unlikely.
“I wasn’t Kimi any harder than I would race anyone else. I need to review [the footage] and there was nothing untoward Kimi, so that’s enough for now,” said Russell after being asked of Antonelli’s move.
Antonelli caught up to the orange McLaren by the end of lap 18, almost tapping Norris at the hairpin, though he quickly lost steam and wouldn’t get within striking distance until the last lap. He tried once more but overcooked it into Turn 1, had to cut the corner, and gave Norris back the position. Antonelli once again vented on the radio, only to hear an angry Wolff once again say they would “discuss things internally and not on the radio.”
This was always bound to happen, and frankly, it hadn’t happened simply because Russell hadn’t been able to get close enough to Antonelli as the youngster claimed victories in China, Japan, and Miami. And while this is just a Sprint—making these antics even sillier—it highlights that there is certainly lots of tension on both sides of the Mercedes garage.
It’ll be interesting to see how Wolff and team leadership handle things tonight. I can’t imagine they will allow this to happen during Sunday’s big race.
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